Archive | April, 2010

The debate over Adobe Flash vs. HTML5 is starting to heat up, as both are to made available for more smartphones in the coming months. However, Michael Chaize is a firm believer in Flash, so he did some benchmark comparisons (see video below) with a Google Nexus One using TheManInBlue site, which clearly shows Flash animations playing smoother than HTML5 animations on the Nexus One. Lastly, he used an iPhone, which currently only supports HTML5 (not Flash), but the HTML5 animations that were rendered by the iPhone were slower than the Nexus One, most likely due to the differences in processor speed. However, Chaize points out that we are in the very early days of Flash and HTML5 being used on smartphone, and that the benchmarks are hard to setup because of the differences between the two technologies.
source: recombu via androidcommunity

Remember that surprise that was expected to come along with the release of Verizon’s version of the Nexus One? It could possibly be related to the HTC Incredible which is teetering ever so closely as it was recently discovered that Big Red potentially is waiting for the right time to give it the green lights. An individual posted a screen shot of Verizon’s system over at Android Forums and it appears as though there are exactly 156,709 units that are on order – but it’s being said that this is Verizon’s way of saying that they have them in the warehouse and ready for shipment. The same person who leaked the screenshot goes on to say that they’re no longer the property of the manufacturer, but instead, they’re in the hands of Verizon – so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Verizon does something drastic to place the spotlight back at them. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out if both the HTC Nexus One and Incredible are launched at the same time by Verizon Wireless.
source: Android Forums via Engadget

Sprint released a couple of videos that show the HTC EVO 4G at work. YouTube HQ is demonstrated and the quality of the picture is fantastic over the phone’s 4.3 inch capacitive display. Another app that was displayed was Google Googles, which comes pre-loaded on the handset as part of Android 2.1. The visual search engine uses the EVO 4G’s 8MP camera and scans an image to come back with search results. In the demonstration, Sprint’s 4G network flexes its muscles a bit and you can see how quickly the information came back to the user. Speaking about speed, the carrier shows off web browsing on the phone, including the Pinch-To-Zoom function, and Flash support. The pages render exactly as they do on your desktop computer. Other featured apps include the Layer Augmented Reality browser. Take a look at the videos and we are sure that you will start to have those strange feelings that you had the first time you saw the iPhone or the HTC HD2 in action. Your mind will turn to mush and drool will come from the corner of your mouth. Every waking moment will be consumed with getting your own unit. Or maybe not. Either way, you have to admit that the EVO 4G is an amazing specimen.
source: YouTube (1), (2)

We have already reported that Mozillasuspended the development of Firefox for Windows Mobile and announced it would focus on versions for Android and Maemo instead. However, it’s still anzyone’s guess when the first official version rolls out, since all we have seen to date are pictures of the application running on the Nexus One and Motorola DROID.

It seems, however, that eager fans of the operating system are tired of waiting for Mozilla’s product and have taken it to heart to see Mozilla Mobile (codename Fennec) run on their favourite devices right away. Videos showing the browser in action, on the Motorola MILESTONE, have recently surfaced at Android Forums. As you can see for yourself, the program is definitely unfit for the wide audience and plagued by a number of software bugs. For an instance, it does not support screen keyboards. Still, you can download the browser and check it at your own risk to help the overly eager Android fans optimize it. The software is available via this link.
via Android Forums

Just yesterday, we reported how HTC had thrown a wet blanket over those who had hoped that the EVO 4G would offer them simultaneous voice and data over 4G. After saying that the only way to talk and browse over 4G would be through using a third party VOIP service, the Taiwanese based firm said that the problem was not hardware, but software related. Sprint responded by tweet and in a terse statement, the pin-dropping network wrote out some equations for the HTC EVO 4G. Voice and Data can be used together while the handset is using Wi-Fi. On 3G, simultaneous voice and data is a “No”. As for talking and surfing while on 4G, Sprint wrote ” still TBD, still being tested.” While HTC said yesterday, “If you’re using 4G for data, you can’t use CDMA for voice,” it seems that the carrier isn’t ruling it out at all. So before AT&T calls Luke Wilson back to the studio to film some more spots crowing about how its customers can change a dinner reservation online while talking on the phone at the same time, there still is a chance that Sprint’s testing will result in simultaneous voice and data using 4G on the EVO 4G handset.
source: Twitter via androidinca

*PHONEARENA DOES NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU DAMAGE YOUR PHONE DOING THE MANUAL SOFTWARE UPDATE. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL CONFIDENT IN DOING IT, PLEASE WAIT FOR THE OTA DOWNLOAD*

Motorola DROID owners, your wait is over! After a slight delay, Verizon started to officially deploy the Android 2.1 (ESE81) update yesterday, first to 1000 users at noon and then to 9000 more at midnight. If you were not one of the lucky DROID owners that got the over-the-air update yesterday, and don’t feel like waiting around any more, you can now manually update your phone to Android 2.1 (ESE81). We should point out that this is based on our instructions for the manual Android 2.0.1 (ESD56) update that we posted last December, but it still works with the 2.1 update.

*Before you do anything, make sure that your DROID is NOT ROOTED and doesn’t have a Custom ROM, and if it is, you must return it to stock Android 2.0.1 (ESD56) status first (follow the steps posted on Droid-Life.com). If you haven’t rooted your phone or installed a custom ROM (or not even sure what that is) then you can proceed with the steps below.*

Here’s what you’ll need to do:
1) Make sure that you don’t have any past update.zip file located on your phone’s microSD memory card. If there is one, delete it.
2) Download the new update.zip file using your PC and transfer it to the main root directory on the DROID’s microSD memory card. Do NOT place it in any sub-directory or rename the file to something else.
3) Power the phone off.
4) Slide open the phone so you can see the keyboard.
5) Press-and-hold the letter X on the keyboard and press the Power button until the device powers on.
6) Continue to hold the Power and X button until the screen shows a triangle and exclamation mark.
7) Release the Power and X button. Press the Volume UP *and* Camera buttons at the same time. Be sure to keep the phone open.
9) On the screen you will see several choices, use the d-pad on the keyboard to move down the list and select the “update.zip” file.
10) The update process will begin and will take a few minutes to load.
11) Once it is done, select the 1st option on the screen to Reboot the phone – NOT Factory Restore.
12) The phone will turn off and then restart, and the “DROID EYE” will show for about 2-5 minutes.
13) After the Home Screen loads, everything will be intact, including programs and settings.
14) Turn phone back off, remove the battery, wait 1 minute, replace battery and turn phone on.
15) Go into Settings, About Phone and scroll down. It should list Firmware version 2.1-update1, Build number ESE81.

We installed this on our DROID demo unit (which was never rooted) and did not encounter any problems. The PDF file on Verizon’s site list what changes are in Android 2.1 (ESE81) for the Motorola DROID. We’ve tried it out, and there is pinch-and-zoom in the Web Browser, in the updated 3D Gallery, and in Google Maps. There is also a new News and Weather app with widget, voice search in more areas, and 11 Live Wallpapers for the desktop. We were also able to go to the Android Market and download the Google Earth app, which also uses pinch-and-zoom. Unfortunately, this update to Android 2.1 for the DROID does not include the 5 home screens (you are still limited to 3), nor the 3D scrolling programs list that is on the Google Nexus One. We can only hope that both of these features will eventually make its way to the DROID in the next update…whenever that is.

Let us know what you think of the DROID software update in the comment section below.
source: AllDroid via HowardForums

With its 4 inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, Android 2.1, and its high powered 1GHz Cortez A8 processor, the Samsung Galaxy S is a powerful handset that offers beauty for your eyes. Video formats like FLAC and MKV will find support on the phone and it looks like the Korean based manufacturer thought of everything when it came to designing the handset. One thing that was left out was a physical QWERTY keyboard. Although today’s virtual QWERTY keyboards have improved greatly to the point where some users can return correspondence easily with little or few mistakes, you still would be hard-pressed to find someone who can rip off full-length letters using a virtual keyboard. That is why we have seen alternative typing methods like Swype and ThickButtons catch on with smartphone users. But nothing can replace the touch of your typing finger on a real key and that could be why it looks like Samsung will offer a variant of the Galaxy S with a physical QWERTY keyboard which will be called the Samsung Galaxy S Pro. This info comes from the guys at HDBlog who say that the Pro resembles the Galaxy S. A launch could take place this summer, a few months after the Galaxy S gets released.
source: AndroidHDBlog (translated) via UnwiredView

The Motorola i1 is the globe’s first Push-To-Talk Android phone. The handset has all of the great features you’ve seen from Android powered models, and also has the rugged dependability of a device made for use at places like construction sites. With a background as a vendor to the Armed Forces (Motorola communications equipment has always been a mainstay of the military, seen in the hands of our brave soldiers going back decades), the phone was built to military specifications and is designed to withstand shock, dust, vibration and the driving rain. If you’re one of those cellphone users who is constantly bending over to pick up their dropped phone, or if you favor giving your device a frequent bath in the toilet, you might find the i1 to be a great choice. With Android 1.5 on board, the handset also is equipped with a 5MP camera with flash that also allows for video capture. You can watch the videos you take on the phone’s 3.1 inch display with 320 x 480 resolution. And to top it all off, the i1 is also equipped with the Swype keyboard which allows you to create words on your keyboard without typing and without lifting your finger from the glass.

The i1 will be launched in the second quarter of this year by SouthernLINC Wireless. Bob Dawson, president and CEO of the carrier gushes over the device when he says, “We are excited to offer our customers a modern, touch screen phone that marries our premier Push To Talk two-way radio service with highly-desirable multimedia features and thousands of available applications and widgets for personal and business use.” Although no pricing has been announced, the Motorola i1 will be available at SouthernLINC Wireless sales and service centers, authorized dealers, and online at www.southernlinc.com/phones.
source: Motorola

Not too long ago that the GIGABYTE G1305 was spotted on camera sporting some interesting green colored accents, but the latest news point to its eventual rendezvous with Orange. Not only will all the features mentioned previously be intact, but it now looks to take the moniker of “Boston” over the existing Codfish name attached to it – its Bluetooth certification actually mentions it by the name of Boston; so it’s probable that it’ll stick. As we last heard, it was going to be powered by Android 1.6 – but there are speculations that it could land the much coveted Android 2.1 platform instead. Still, there is no official price or confirmed launch date for this device – although Orange customers can look forward to its eventual release soon.
source: Bluetooth SIG via Unwired View

Talk about a long time coming, but the on again and off again promises of Android 2.1 for the Motorola DROID looks to be in full swing as it’s being heard that owners have started to see the update being pushed out to them. From the sounds of it, there were 1,000 owners who received the update notification at noon today while an additional 9,000 more owners will get the much waited alert on their smartphones before midnight tonight. As long as there are no hiccups in this process, everyone who owns a Motorola DROID should be singing happily in the rain as Android 2.1 should be available to the rest of us by Thursday. It’ll bring along a ton of neat features to make DROID owners extremely proud of their handset and how they’re still being remembered despite the latest wave of Android devices making their own splash. In addition, it looks as though users of Yahoo’s free mail service will be able to setup their inbox on the handset without any problems. So have you received that much wanted notification yet?
via Engadget & BGR